Walking on Moonlight
by Rogue Tomato
Summary: Gibbs takes care of Kate after a rough case, even if he's a little unsure about why he's doing it. One-shot written for the Nepal Relief Charity Auction on NFA.


_**A/N: Kibbs fic written for my pal Sarah for the Nepal Charity Auction on NFA. Title is taken from "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" by Meghan Trainor, ft. John Legend.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.**_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"She'll be fine, Agent Gibbs. It looks worse than it actually is."

Gibbs nods stiffly, the doctor's words doing nothing to ease the tension in his body. He steps forward and snatches the blue curtain, pulling it along its track until the sectioned-off exam area is exposed to the rest of the emergency room.

Kate is sitting on a cot, her feet dangling off the edge, with her right arm wrapped protectively around her waist. She seems surprised to see him, which hurts worse than seeing the bruises that mark her face and neck before disappearing below the collar of her hospital gown.

"I'll take Agent Todd home," Gibbs says and as Kate's eyes widen, Gibbs knows she is going to disagree. She waits until the doctor steps out, muttering something about printing off discharge papers and filling prescriptions.

"I'll be fine, Gibbs. I'll just call my sister, and-"

"No," he interrupts loudly and he crosses the room quickly, delicately grabbing one of Kate's upper arms. "No," he repeats gently. "I'm taking you home."

Kate locks eyes with him for a moment and Gibbs isn't sure what she sees there, but her face softens and she nods. "Okay. Just let me get dressed."

Gibbs walks away before he slips up and asks Kate if she needs help. That… that isn't appropriate right now. His agent is hurt… had been hurt on the job… and it is _his_ job to make sure she gets home okay. That's it.

And that _was_ it until Gibbs and Kate are in his car, driving down the dark highway with a full moon glowing high above them, and Gibbs takes the exit that will take them to his house.

"This isn't my exit," Kate needlessly points out.

"I know."

They don't speak again until they pull into Gibbs' driveway, are out of the car, and stepping through his front door.

"What am I doing here, Gibbs?"

Gibbs stares at Kate, unsure of what to say. He knows he can give her the same answer that he gave at the hospital: Kate is an agent of NCIS. More than that, she is on his team and he takes care of his own. The doctor said that she was fine, and Gibbs knows that he wasn't sugar coating anything of which she had suffered. However, Gibbs has a printout of the meds Kate will need to control any lingering pain, and a little monitoring won't hurt.

As her boss, he will make sure that she rests, controls her pain, and is fit for duty sooner rather than later.

Because it's his job.

Or…

Does Gibbs admit the truth to both Kate (and to himself) about his real reasons for bringing her to his home? Can he finally acknowledge the feelings he's been concealing for his agent for the past year? There are times when he looks at her and he is sure that she feels something for him as well. But too many past broken relationships convinces him that he sees only what he wishes to see, and he does nothing.

Maybe he's done nothing for far too long.

Silently he moves forward, reaching over her shoulder to shut the front door behind her, never taking his eyes off hers. Next he takes the small bag she is clutching from her hands and tosses it on the couch. Gibbs knows he isn't imagining things as he hears Kate's breathing increase, watches as her eyes dilate and flick from his eyes, down to his lips, back up to his eyes again.

Gibbs holds onto Kate's upper arm with one hand and lifts the other to cup her cheek. Kate closes her eyes and leans into the touch. It would be so easy to give in to temptation right now, but he has other things he needs to say and do first. He needs to be sure that everything he is doing is for Kate's benefit and not for his own. Gibbs will not make Kate feel pressured in order to satisfy his emotional needs.

"I thought you were dead," Gibbs says, allowing the quiver in his voice to come through loud and clear. Kate opens her eyes and they stare at one another for a beat before he continues. "The way you looked when we found you…"

Kate lifts a hand to her face and settles it over his own. "I'm okay."

Gibbs nods, knowing she's right but still finding it hard to brush aside those few moments of terror upon finding an unconscious Kate, thinking he'd been too late…

"Let me take care of you," he leans in even closer to whisper in her ear. "Will you let me take care of you?"

Kate nods and Gibbs reluctantly pulls away. He walks to the kitchen, pulling out juice and pouring some into a tall glass. "Sit and drink," Gibbs says, pointing to a chair. "I'll make you some soup."

"I'm really not feeling up to food," Kate says, but she sits anyway and drains half the glass of juice.

Gibbs doesn't respond as he pulls down a can of broth and starts a burner on his stove. He can feel Kate's eyes on him as he prepares the scant meal, but he doesn't acknowledge her until he places the bowl in front of her.

"Eat."

She rolls her eyes but does as she's told, getting through half the soup before visibly flagging. Gibbs removes the bowl and places it in the sink, not wanting to waste time cleaning up tonight.

"C'mon," he says, reaching out a hand which Kate grasps and stands. He leads her up the stairs, down the hall, and into the bedroom. He tells her to sit on the bed while he makes a quick run to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth and grabbing another dry one, before returning to the room. Kate is watching him with a knowing glint in her eyes, but she stays silent when he sits next to her and then positions them so they are face to face.

With clinical care, Gibbs wipes the cloth across her forehead, down the side of her face, around the back of her ears. (When that elicits a small giggle from her, Gibbs silently hopes he can investigate that interesting tidbit in more intimate detail later.) Kate tips her head back, giving him access to her neck. Soon all of the dried flakes of blood and orange tints of the Betadine from the emergency room is washed away, leaving only the bruises.

Gibbs brushes his fingertips around one particularly dark welt, his touch turning into something more than soothing. It's the lightest pressure, barely any contact at all, but Kate's breath hitches, she whispers his name, and that's all Gibbs needs. The kiss is passionate and demanding, but Gibbs' hands are tender on Kate's skin. She tastes like chicken broth, spice, and something so undeniably _Kate_ , and Gibbs has a fleeting moment of panic and he pulls away.

"I don't know how to do this," he says sadly, closing his eyes and lowering his head. Kate rests her cheek against his head, her fingers massaging the back of his scalp.

"Don't worry," Kate says, and Gibbs can hear the amusement in her voice. "I can show you."

Gibbs snaps his eyes open and glares at her. "Dammit, Kate, you know that's not what I-"

"Shhhhh." She smiles coyly at him before drawing him in for another deep kiss. They break apart, panting, and Gibbs takes it all in. Kate's hand in his hair, her lips damp from his kisses, her face flushed. Her smile grows under his intense gaze. "We'll figure it out. Together."

Kate doesn't give Gibbs a chance to respond before capturing his mouth in another hungry kiss, and Gibbs finds that he doesn't really mind the interruption at all.

 **The end.**


End file.
